Lizz Winstead

At home in New York, in the middle of her My State of the Union comedy tour, Lizz Winstead is bummed to hear that Clint Didier didnt make it into the final round of our gubernatorial election. Has the Tea Party been comedy gold, I ask, to her tribe of political satirists? Whats good for comedy is usually not good for the nation, says Winstead, who famously co-created The Daily Show (back in the pre-Jon Stewart era). The Michelle Bachmann phenomenon has been an absolute boon. Likewise the constant Twittering of Sarah Palin and daily meltdowns of Glenn Beckmore fresh grist for the mill? It is the greatest thing ever for me, absolutely, she replies. To be a really good political satirist, you have to be writing constantly. And you have to be willing to kill jokes that arent in the news. My material is pretty much 30 percent new in each show. So what makes the Mt. Vernon-raised Beck so popular, so visceral to his viewers? Because hes all emotion-based. Hes given people this set of values that requires nothing of them. You instill this fear of the people whove been electedwho [supposedly] dont think very highly of you, who think youre stupid. When people are desperate, they just want to believe anything theyve heard. If you bring up the facts, its inconvenient. BRIAN MILLER